DNR: Invasive Carp Found In Mississippi River
COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says invasive carp have been found in the Mississippi River near Cottage Grove.
The agency says commercial fishermen under contract with the DNR netted two adult invasive carp in Pool 2 Thursday.
One was a bighead carp weighing about 40 pounds. The other was a silver carp — known for jumping out of the water when disturbed — that weighed about 20 pounds.
The DNR says bighead and silver carp had not been found this far north in the Mississippi River.
DNR regional fisheries manager Brad Parsons says the discovery is "disappointing but not entirely unexpected." He says the discovery does not necessarily mean a breeding population of invasive carp exists within Pool 2. But he says both fish were females that contained eggs.
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